Effect of Commercial Feed Formula and Feed Constituted with Industry Ready-Made Concentrates on the Growth Performance of Broilers
Abstract
Optimal nutrition directly impacts the efficiency and growth performance of broilers, which are critical factors determining the profitability and sustainability of broiler production. Despite the widespread use of both commercial and reconstituted concentrate-based feeds, there has been limited empirical data directly comparing the impact of these feeds under controlled conditions. This lack of comprehensive, comparative studies creates uncertainty for farmers in making informed decisions about the more cost-effective and productive feed to use. This study compared the growth performance of 120 broiler chicks fed a commercial feed formula and a feed constituted with industry-ready-made concentrates. The chicks were randomly assigned to two dietary experimental groups (T1 – Commercial feed; T2 – feed formulated with ready-made concentrate from the feed industry) and fed for eight weeks. The results of the experiment were analyzed using a two-tailedt-test. The findings of the study revealed that although the average feed intake, feed conversion rate, and weight gain of the two groups were not significantly different (P>0.05), broilers fed with reconstituted concentrate-based feed showed significant weight gain in the 6th (p = 0.002), 7th (p = 0.019), and 8th (p = 0.002) weeks of the experiment. The results of the findings showed that the use of reconstituted concentrate-based feed allows for better growth performance in broilers. Thus, the use of reconstituted concentrate-based feed by farmers is recommended.
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Introduction
The broiler production business offers one of the quickest returns on investment for poultry farmers, with high feed conversion rates and the production of one of the cheapest and best sources of animal protein (Akpaeti & Agom, 2018). However, animal protein consumption in Nigeria is grossly below the average required for good health, inline with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (Akpaeti & Agom, 2018; Adekunmi et al., 2017). This low availability of animal protein might be attributed to the challenges of broiler production faced by farmers, which have slowed down the rate of production in the industry (Anosike et al., 2020).
With the growth in the production and rearing of broilers in recent years, industries have launched different commercial feed factories, some of which have benefits and disadvantages for broiler farmers (Wognaa et al., 2023). Yadollah and Ali (2016) observed that there is a significant difference between different production concentrates with respect to weight gain and aviculture duration. Using factory concentrates compared to feeds formulated on a poultry farm had positive effects on the diet behaviors of broilers, such that the rate of leftover protein, calcium, and phosphorus in dishes with concentrate feeds was less than that in feeds formulated on a poultry farm.
Mixing ingredients is an essential process in feed manufacturing, as these ingredients must be combined effectively to be supplied as a complete feed to animals (Rocha et al., 2022). The general objective of poultry nutrition is to maximize the economic production performance of birds. Diets are formulated to provide specific levels of nutrients needed for optimum performance (Uchegbu et al., 2009). Variations in nutrient composition, digestibility, and bioavailability between commercial feeds and those formulated with ready-made concentrates may lead to differences in broiler performance, which need to be understood to optimize feeding practices. Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by rigorously comparing the effects of commercial feeds and feeds reconstituted with ready-made concentrates on the performance of broilers.
Conclusion
This study showed that broilers fed reconstituted concentrate-based feed exhibited greater weight gain in the later stages of the experiment. This suggests that reconstituted concentrate-based feed may be a viable alternative to commercial feed for maximizing broiler growth performance. Further research is needed to determine the optimal formulation of reconstituted concentrate-based feeds for different broiler growth stages.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST There is no conflict of interest
